2. Cynthia Gehrke. Easy to forget that Gehrke was nominated as IRB Player of the Year in 2001. She was very mobile a and multi-skilled.

Meredith Ottens

3. Meredith Ottens. The gold standard of scrummagers. Not as big or quick as Burke, but was supremely tough, very strong, and knew the job she had to do.

4. Jen Crouse. A very classy and intelligent player with the skill and pace to play flanker.

5. Nancy Fitz. Enormously brave and dedicated lock forward.

6. Phaidra Knight. Our Player of the Decade. At her best she scared the living daylights out of teams. Serves as our prop replacement, as well.

7. Diane Schnapp. Every openside flanker since Schnapp hopes to be half as good as she was. Small for the position, and could play a good scrumhalf too, she was perhaps the USA’s best defensive player, ever.

8. Tina Nesberg. The Eagles have had lots of good No. 8s in the 200s – Erina Queen, Alex Williams, Blair Groefsema. Nesberg is the best combination of speed, power, game savvy and dedication.

9. Shari Dahlberg. Smooth and intelligent, Dahlberg is our pick in a position that struggled to find a superstar in this decade.

Jen Crouse

10. Heather Hale. Several good flyhalves patrolled the pitch for the Eagles. Hale was the most consistent and probably the best defender.

11. Ellie Karvoski. The USA was 4-1 at the 2006 World Cup, and she was a huge reason why.

12. Keenya Warner. Totally unselfish player.

13. Patty Jervey. One of the few holdovers from the great players of the 1990s. Lost a little pace and reclaimed her place as a center, and a great one. All-time leader for the USA with 38 tries in 40 appearances.

14. Laura Cabrera. Right wing is a tough one, because there are several who could have come here. Cabrera was the most consistent.

15. Ashley English. There’s really not been anyone else. Great attacking threat, although she has frustrated us at times, she still claims the spot.